Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is actually a very popular dish in America and Europe. But we Bengalis know no regionalism when it comes to food. They are truly omnivorous. So, this spring, baking a nice pie will give your mind a blossom.

Though this dish needs no introduction, still when there is Wikipedia, you are tempted to get the information and fill your blog page with it ! Lol ! A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients.

Pies are defined by their crusts. A filled pie (also single-crust or bottom-crust), has pastry lining the baking dish, and the filling is placed on top of the pastry but left open. A top-crust pie has the filling in the bottom of the dish and is covered with a pastry or other covering before baking. A two-crust pie has the filling completely enclosed in the pastry shell. Shortcrust pastry is a typical kind of pastry used for pie crusts, but many things can be used, including baking powder biscuits, mashed potatoes, and crumbs.

Reading the history of the pie in the Wikipedia page, I found it really interesting. It says, (I am reproducing it from the wikipedia page itself), ”The need for nutritious, easy-to-store, easy-to-carry, and long-lasting foods on long journeys, in particular at sea, was initially solved by taking live food along with a butcher or cook. However, this took up additional space on what were either horse-powered treks or small ships, reducing the time of travel before additional food was required. This resulted in early armies adopting the style of hunter-foraging.

The introduction of the baking of processed cereals including the creation of flour, provided a more reliable source of food. Egyptian sailors carried a flat brittle bread loaf of millet bread called dhourra cake, while the Romans had a biscuit called buccellum.

Early pies were in the form of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes called galettes consisting of a crust of ground oats, wheat, rye,or barley containing honey inside. These galettes developed into a form of early sweet pastry or desserts, evidence of which can be found on the tomb walls of the Pharaoh Ramesses II, who ruled from 1304 to 1237 BC, located in the Valley of the Kings. Sometime before 2000 BC, a recipe for chicken pie was written on a tablet in Sumer.

Ancient Greeks are believed to have originated pie pastry. In the plays of Aristophanes (5th century BC), there are mentions of sweetmeats including small pastries filled with fruit. Nothing is known of the actual pastry used, but the Greeks certainly recognized the trade of pastry-cook as distinct from that of baker. (When fat is added to a flour-water paste it becomes a pastry.) The Romans made a plain pastry of flour, oil, and water to cover meats and fowls which were baked, thus keeping in the juices. (The covering was not meant to be eaten; it filled the role of what was later called puff paste.) A richer pastry, intended to be eaten, was used to make small pasties containing eggs or little birds which were among the minor items served at banquets.

The 1st-century Roman cookbook Apicius makes various mentions of recipes which involve a pie case. By 160 BC, Roman statesman Marcus Porcius Cato (234–149 BC), who wrote De Agri Cultura, notes the recipe for the most popular pie/cake called placenta. Also called libum by the Romans, it was more like a modern-day cheesecake on a pastry base, often used as an offering to the gods. With the development of the Roman Empire and its efficient road transport, pie cooking spread throughout Europe.

Pies remained as a staple of travelling and working peoples in the colder northern European countries, with regional variations based on both the locally grown and available meats, as well as the locally farmed cereal crop. The Cornish pastry is an adaptation of the pie to a working man's daily food needs. Medieval cooks had restricted access to ovens due to their costs of construction and need for abundant supplies of fuel. Pies could be easily cooked over an open fire, while partnering with a baker allowed them to cook the filling inside their own locally defined casing. The earliest pie-like recipes refer to coffyns (the word actually used for a basket or box), with straight sealed sides and a top; open-top pies were referred to as traps. The resulting hardened pastry was not necessarily eaten, its function being to contain the filling for cooking, and to store it, though whether servants may have eaten it once their masters had eaten the filling is impossible to prove. This may also be the reason why early recipes focus on the filling over the surrounding case, with the partnership development leading to the use of reusable earthenware pie cases which reduced the use of expensive flour.”

It reminds me of the article I have read a few days ago which mentioned that the recipe of the famous Rajasthani Laal Maas was actually invented as a staple food for the Rajputs during their hunting. The ingredients used in that recipe are only those which can be easily carried and stored for a long time so that the Rajputs could carry those while going for hunting.

Well, enough of history. Let’s focus on the recipe of our Chicken Pot Pie now. Here, I am going to make a double crust one.

  

Preparation Time – 30 mins + 1 hour for chilling the dough, Baking Time – 30-35 mins, Serving – 4-6

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1. Boneless Chicken – 400 gms, cut into small pieces
2. Carrot – 1 large, cut into small dice
3. Beans – 125 gms, cut into thin ring
4. Capsicum – 2 medium, cut into small dice
5. Peas- 2 fistful
6. Potato – 1 medium, cut into small dice
7. Onion – 1 ½ medium
8. Butter – 40 gms
9. Flour- ¾ cup
10. Milk – 1 cup
11. Salt- to taste
12. Sugar – 1 tbsp (optional)
13. Back pepper powder – 1 tsp
14. Oregano – to sprinkle
15. Chicken stock – 2 cups

For pastry:

1. Flour – 3 cup + to roll out
2. Salt – 1 tsp
3. Sugar – 1 tsp
4. Butter – 60 gms
5. Baking powder – 1 tbsp
6. Ice water – as required

For Egg wash:

1. Egg – 1 no.
2. Water / milk – 1 tbsp

Method:

First, prepare the filling of the pie. For this, put the chicken and all the vegetables in a pan. Pour 2 cups of water and cover. Let it boil over medium flame for 15 mins.

After 15 mins, when the chicken and all the vegetables get tender, turn the heat off. Drain the stock and keep it aside.

Heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion and fry it till it gets translucent.

Add the flour and stir for 1 min.

Then add the chicken stock and keep on stirring continuously to avoid the lump formation.

Add the milk and mix it well.

Then add all the boiled vegetables and chicken. Mix it well with the flour gravy. The flour with butter, milk and chicken stock forms the white sauce which look like a thick gravy. Mix the chicken and the vegetable very well to get them coated with the white sauce evenly.

Sprinkle the seasoning of salt, sugar, pepper powder and oregano. Mix them.

Turn the heat off and keep it aside.

Now, it’s time to prepare the pastry dough. For this, mix all the dry ingredients and butter very well. By slowly adding chilled water, prepare a soft dough.

Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.

After an hour, take the dough out from the fridge. Wait for 10 more minutes.

Divide the dough into two. Take one at a time and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. You have to roll out the dough as per the diameter of your baking pan. Mine was a 9 inch springform pan and the ingredients I mentioned here are appropriate for this.

Once you roll out one dough, place it on the bottom of your baking pan. The diameter of your rolled out dough must be 2 inch bigger than that of your pan. Press the excess 1 inch of dough on the side of the pan firmly to form a rim.

You may make wavy design by putting your both the index fingers, one above the dough and the other below it. Continue the process throughout the rim.

Your bottom pie crust is ready.

Then, pour out the filling on this bottom pie crust up to the level of the rim.

Roll out the other dough similarly and place it on the top of the filling.

Form similar wavy shape on the sides of the dough with the same alignment with that of on the bottom crust. Press both the crust together to cover the filling completely.

Make some slits on the top crust to allow the steam to escape while baking. For this, I inscribed my signature  Lol !

Beat the egg with 1 spoonful of water. Brush the egg mixture on the top crust. This egg wash will result in a marvellous golden brown glaze after baking.

Bake your pie in a pre-heated oven for 30-35 mins at a temperature of 170^o C or till the top crust turns golden brown.

I must mention here that, every oven has its own specification and only you can judge your oven the best. So, use the temperature and the time which you feel is right for your oven. Mine is a Bajaj 22lt OTG. And the aforesaid specification yields perfect output.

After baking, let it cool slightly for 10 mins on the wire rack. Then indulge yourself into a generous portion of it.

Share the pie over the table with your loved ones.

Chicken Croissant

I am not a professional chef, but cooking is my passion. I love to explore various types of food, and rather than buying it from store, or go to the restaurant to taste it, I always like it to prepare the same in my own kitchen. The inspiration has doubtlessly been my mother. My love for cooking and baking began since my childhood watching my mom preparing various type of dishes herself, even without having convenient gadgets. Like, I saw her to bake cakes in pressure pan since she did not have any oven. Gradually my own passion for baking grows by starting the same thing…. Cake in pressure pan !!!!

This time, I was ready to take a serious challenge in my kitchen. I planned to make Croissant. Croissant is a buttery, flaky, Vienna-Style Pastry named for its crescent shape. It is prepared by laminated dough and the process is very much time consuming. If you start preparing your croissant today, you may finally come up with your result in the next to next day!!! But, if you are patient enough, and have the guts to start your process, the final result is awesome!!!!

As usual, being a Chicken lover, I made my first batch of croissant with chicken filling. But, some of my friends have asked me for vegetarian recipes. Therefore, I am giving here the idea for vegan substitute also. The process for preparing the dough would be same in both the varieties.

  

Preparation Time – 24-26 Hours (Active Time: 2 hrs, Inactive Time: 22-24 hrs), Baking Time – 25 minutes, Serving – 10-12 Nos. of Croissant

Ingredients:

For Dough:

1. Flour- 3 ½ cup + 1 cup
2. Refined oil – ¼ cup
3. Salt- 1tsp
4. Sugar – 3 tbsp
5. Yeast – 15 gms
6. Lukewarm milk – 1 cup
7. Warm water – ¼ cup
8. Baking soda- 1 pinch
9. Salt- 1 pinch
10. Water – as required

For Lamination:

1. Butter – 150 gms
2. Flour- 2 tbsp

For Chicken filling:

1. Chicken – 400 gms (minced)
2. Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
3. Garlic – 2-3 cloves, finely chopped
4. Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
5. Grated carrot - ½ cup
6. Capsicum – 1, finely chopped
7. Salt – to taste
8. Sugar – 1 tsp
9. Turmeric- ½ tsp
10. Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
11. Garam masala powder- 1tsp
12. Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp
13. Soya sauce- 1 tbsp
14. Oil – 2 tbsp

For egg wash:

1.  Egg- 1
2. Water- 1 tsp

Method:

Let prepare the dough first. For that, mix yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in warm water. Let it dissolve completely (approx. 5 mins it will take).

Mix salt and 2 tbsp of sugar in warm milk until sugar gets dissolved.

Mix flour with refined oil. Add the yeast mixture and the milk mixture into it.

Fold it into a smooth soft dough.

Cover it and place in the refrigerator for overnight.    

Next morning, prepare for the lamination process. For that, lightly melt the butter and mix it with the flour. Let it rest.

Bring out the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Give it a shape of a 18” x 9” rectangle, shorter side facing you.

Apply the butter mixture into bottom 2/3 of this rectangle, leaving slight space at the border.

Fold the upper 1/3 of the rectangle, i.e, the unbuttered portion, over the middle 1/3. Then fold the bottom 1/3 portion over this. Therefore, you will get a 6” x 9” rectangle. This will be the first fold of the lamination.

Wrap it with plastic cover and refrigerate it for at least 2 hrs.

After 2 hrs, bring out the dough again. Place it on a lightly floured surface with the shorter side facing you. Roll it out again in the same fashion and again make the 3 layer folding (this time you don’t have to apply extra butter). Be cautious that butter doesn’t spill out from the dough. If butter starts to leak too much, chill it inside fridge for some time and continue the process.

So, you have completed your 2^nd turn now. Repeat the process of chilling the dough for 2 hrs and then rolling it out and folding it into 3 layers for at least 5-6 times.

After the final turn, chill your dough for at least 3-4 hrs (or overnight. In my case, it was already late evening when I completed my final turn. So I placed it in refrigerator for overnight).

In the meantime, anytime between 2 turns when you have 2 hrs of spare time, prepare the filling. For that, heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and onion. Stir occasionally until golden brown.

Add minced chicken, carrot and capsicum. Mix ginger paste and the other spices (except for ketchup and soya sauce). Cook it.

Add required amount of water, if needed. When the chicken is cooked and water dries up, add the tomato ketchup and soya sauce. Mix well.

Remove from heat and keep aside.

Now, start the preparation for making the croissant. For that, take the laminated dough out of the refrigerator. Divide it into two. We will work with one half at a time. Keep the other half in fridge during that time.

Roll the dough out again on the lightly floured surface to an 18”x 12” rectangle.

Then cut triangular shaped portion out of it. The height of the triangle should be at 2 ½ times the base (see pic. for reference).

Take one triangle and place it facing the base towards you.

Put the chicken filling near the base. Roll the triangle, covering the filling, starting from the base towards the tip. Keep in mind to maintain the tension in the dough while rolling it up. Bend the corners a bit to give it the desired crescent like shape. The shape will be like as shown in the picture.

When done, place the croissants in the fridge and work out the other half of the dough similarly.

Preheat oven at 200^o C. Beat 1 egg with a little amount of water.

Grease your baking tray with butter. Place the croissant on the baking tray. You must leave some gap between the croissants to allow them to rise freely during baking.

Brush the egg mixture on the croissants. It is called eggwash which results in a golden brown glaze over the croissants. Bake them at 175^o C for 20-25 mins.

If the browning starts too quickly, you may lower down the temperature a bit. Actually it is not possible to suggest the perfect temperature-time setting for an oven. It depends on the make and size of the oven. So you have to know the perfect setting by your experience only.

When done, wait for 5-10 mins. Then, just relish the super flaky, crispy and tasty croissants…. and nothing else !!!

Now, as I promised above, here is some idea for Vegan substitute.

For savoury Croissant, you can simple substitute the chicken with paneer. If you want to make a sweet croissant, which is also a very popular variety, you can use chocolate/ orange marmalade filling. And the eggwash can be substituted by refined oil…. Simple enough !! J